Turrón de Xixona Cheesecake
 
Prep Time
Cook Time
Total Time
 
Author:
Type of recipe: Cheesecakes
Cuisine: American-Spanish
Yield: 10-12
Ingredients
(All ingredients must be at room temperature unless otherwise noted)
For the crust:
  • 2 cups (200 g) graham cracker crumbs or finely crushed Digestive biscuits
  • ¼ cup / ½ stick (55 g) unsalted butter, melted
  • ½ teaspoon ground Ceylon cinnamon
For the filling:
  • 3 tablespoons (25 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 24½ oz (700 g) de queso crema (tipo Philadelphia)
  • 10½ oz (300 g) turrón de Jijona*
  • 4 medium eggs
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup (180 ml) whipping cream
For the sour cream topping:
  • 1 cup (240 ml) sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3½ oz (100 g) almond crocanti (chopped and lightly caramelized almonds)
  • 3 tablespoons honey (optional)
Method
For the crust:
  1. First, butter the interior of a 9-inch (24 cm) springform pan, especially the sides. To prevent cracks from happening on the surface of our cheesecake —and we, under no circumstances, want that—, the filling shouldn’t possibly stick to the pan.
  2. Then, wrap the outside bottom of the pan very, very thoroughly with a couple layers of foil, so that not a drop of water seeps through it later while baking our cheesecake.
  3. In a medium size bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs with the granulated sugar and the melted butter together until totally combined.
  4. Transfer the previous mixture to the buttered and wrapped springform pan, and press them firmly and evenly into the bottom (you can use your finger tips or the back of a spoon). Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until the oven is ready.
  5. Meanwhile, preheat oven (electric) to 350º F (175ºC) and place oven rack in the middle position.
  6. Place the springform pan on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Let cool on a cooling rack while making the filling.
For the filling:A LOW MIXING PROCESS IS VITAL TO AVOID AIR GETTING INTO THE FILLING, WHICH WOULD ENCOURAGE CRACKS TO APPEAR DURING BAKING.
  1. Reduce oven temp to 325º F (165ºC) and place a rimmed baking sheet in the middle position.
  2. Bring 1 - 1½ quarts (±1 - 1½ liters) water to a boil.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt until totally combined. Set aside.
  4. Meanwhile, process the turrón until smooth in a food processor (or a blender). If you like some texture in your cheesecake, you can leave a few bits. Set aside.
  5. In the bowl of our stand or hand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a large bowl), mix cream cheese until smooth and lump-free for 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, as well as the paddle, with a rubber spatula and repeat as often as needed after each addition of new ingredients.
  6. Now, add the turrón paste and mix until perfectly combined for a couple of minutes more.
  7. Gradually, and with the mixer running, add dry ingredients (see point 3) and mix for 4 minutes more.
  8. Next, add the vanilla extract and mix just until combined.
  9. Now switch the paddle attachment for the dough hook and, still at low speed, blend the eggs, one at a time, making sure to mix each completely after the next addition.
  10. Finally, mix in the whipping cream until totally combined, making sure it is completely lump-free and smooth. If necessary, end up mixing gently by hand with a rubber spatula so as not to incorporate any air into the batter.
  11. Pour the mixture onto the crust making sure the top surface is smooth.
  12. Try beating the pan gently against the counter to release any air bubbles inside the batter (do not forget to place a kitchen towel underneath to avoid damaging either the pan or the counter). Wait a few seconds to see whether air bubbles may appear on the surface. If so, prick them out with a toothpick and smooth with an offset spatula if needed.
  13. Place the pan onto a rimmed baking sheet (or a roasting pan that is large enough to hold the pan with some space around it) and pour enough boiling water into it to come about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Be extremely careful not to burn yourself or spill any drop of water into the filling.
  14. Bake for 1¼ hrs.
For the sour cream topping:
  1. Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla extract until soft and smooth and totally combined.
  2. Very carefully remove the pan from the oven (there may be some hot water in the foil) and spread the sour cream mixture evenly over the top surface of your cheesecake with an offset spatula.
  3. Return to oven and bake for 15 more minutes.
  4. After this time, definitely remove from the oven and, really carefully so as not to burn yourself (again, there may be some hot water in the foil), remove foil.
  5. Run a blunt knife between the filling and the pan to prevent the cake from sticking while cooling and therefore, very likely, cracking and place the cheesecake, still in the pan, on a cooling rack. Let cool completely at room temperature.
  6. Cover with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for at least 6 hours before glazing (even better overnight).
  7. Carefully release the ring of the springform pan (leave the bottom to hold the cake).
  8. Served covered with almond crocanti all over the top surface and drizzle a few tablespoons of honey (if using). And ready to go!If you want to get a clean cut, use a long, thin knife that has been run after hot water for a few seconds and lightly wiped with a towel. Keep warming the knife as you cut slices of the cheesecake. It keeps for up to 4-5 days in the refrigerator well wrapped.Firma Rosa M Lillo
Notes
– Cracks are cheesecakes’ enemy number one. In order to prevent your cheesecake from cracking, please make sure that:
°All ingredients are at room temperature, especially cream cheese, eggs and whipping cream (or sour cream).
° You do not over mix the filling, especially after adding sugar.
° You do not over bake your cheesecake. This step may be a little tricky as all we need to do is to keep a close eye on the baking progression: neither do all the ovens behave in the same way nor do all ingredients respond in kind. Our cheesecake will be ready just when most of the filling is set around the edges but there’s still some wobbling in the center.
° You should use a proper pan (a springform pan, for that matter). Furthermore, it must be correctly greased; cracks may very likely appear when cooling if the filling stuck to the sides of the pan.
° Do not unmold your cheesecake until it’s totally refrigerated. Then, remove the ring piece very carefully (if the filling had stuck to the sides of the pan, run a blunt warm knife around it). However, leave the bottom piece to hold your cheesecake.
– If you prefer to skip the whole water bath setup —I personally think that, although it may be somewhat cumbersome, it is actually a very convenient procedure in order to get a fail-safe cheesecake baking—, you should play with oven temperatures. Set the oven temp to 465º F (240ºC) to start with, and after the first 10 minutes reduce to 215º F (100ºC) and bake for 1 – 1 ¼ hours more until your cheesecake is set.
– The turrón de Jijona usually contains little bits of almond. In case we want to get rid of these and enjoy a perfectly smooth cheesecake, we can pass the batter through a sieve the moment we pour it in to the pan.
– Unglazed cheesecakes can be frozen for up to 2-3 months. Wrap it in plastic wrap and foil to prevent them from freezer burn.
– National (USA) cheesecake day: July 30th.
- International turrón day: November 7th.
Recipe by Pemberley Cup & Cakes at https://pemberleycupandcakes.com/en/2015/01/14/turron-de-jijona-cheesecake-the-best-of-both-worlds/